Small Town, Big Growth

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Thanks to explosive growth over the past several years, SISD has moved up in UIL Classification to 4A.

The move up will provide new competition for the Raiders in extracurricular activities along with new opportunities and responsibilities for students.

“We won’t exactly just be expected to win the majority of district games,” varsity volleyball captain Carli Morgan said. “Everyone will definitely have to work harder.”

Tougher competition will only increase the intensity with which athletes will be required to play. The Raiders will be challenged to grow as a team and as individual players to maintain their success.

“It will be much more intense this year,” varsity wide receiver Trevor Tutle said.

The athletic department is not the only department moving up in competition. Sunnyvale’s UIL Academic teams and fine arts groups will also be affected by the transition as they face tougher opponents.

“I think [the students] have been handed things that they are going to have to work for this year,” UIL Academics coordinator Lauren Arden said. “They’ve gotten so used to being on top that now they are going to have to learn to put in the hard work, and I think that’s going to be a big challenge a lot of our kids aren’t used to seeing.”

With increased competition, some fear SISD will struggle with size, despite moving up to a larger district for increasing numbers of students.

“In athletics, it will be the fact that we won’t have the numbers,” Arden said. “We have a lot of students who don’t play sports [while] the schools we will be competing against have more students who do play.”

According to the high school’s principal, Ron Sterling, SISD’s expansion and progression to 4A will give the students a chance to grow as well.

“The transition to facing new schools that are much larger and have been part of 4A, who know the ins and outs of competing at a high level each and every week, will be more competitive, in my opinion,” Sterling said. “But, I also think that will be good for our students because in order to get better, you have to be pushed,”

Although there is an increased amount of expectations this school year, many are thrilled to take on the 4A district.

“I am excited for the competition,”Morgan said, “With less charter schools to play, our games will be a lot more entertaining now and hopefully we will have a lot bigger crowds to come support!”

This year, students have more support from the community going into the uncharted territory of the 4A district, which will hopefully give them more confidence to compete at their best levels.

“I think we’ll be just fine,” Sterling said. “I think we will, if not, do better and be right on part of what we’ve done in previous years. I think that’s the type of kids we have, along with parental support. I think it’s just embedded into our culture.”

Sunnyvale personnel, as well, are ready to see what SISD students are capable of.

“I’m excited to see how our kids measure up against bigger schools,” Arden said. “I feel like going into a bigger district, [the students] are going to grow more and shine!”

Residents and staff alike are welcoming the new change and challenges.

“Just to have competitive teams to play will be nice,” Head Basketball Coach Jeff Jacobs said. “I’m excited about it; this is what we wanted.”

Many are embracing Sunnyvale’s development and are ready to see how the school proceeds in the coming years.

“It’s great that our community is growing,” Tutle said. “We have always been known as a small town and it will be great getting recognized as a bigger school.”

The faculty is excited to see what this upcoming year holds for SISD.

“I do like us being small, but I do think the competition will be worth it,” said Arden. “I think it’s going to be good for us as a community and I think it’s going to be good for us as a school.”